THE psychedelic Sixties came to life at Watchfield Primary School when the pupils took part in their annual arts week.

Uniforms were swapped for tie-dye shirts, John Lennon glasses and flower power headbands, as the children learned about the decade of the Beatles, Twiggy, George Best and Thunderbirds.

“The children have had an amazing time and will hopefully have been inspired by new experiences, be it singing, making music, creating art, learning design skills or discovering an enjoyment of dance,” said foundation stage unit teacher Joanna Kinch.

Among the workshops and activities organised for the youngsters were origami sessions, fashion design and a contest to design a mini.

“It was a hard one to judge as the entries were all very individual and eye catching,” said Joanna.

Pupils were also given dancing lessons, learning ballroom and jive. All through the week they competed for a gold disc and had to be ready to dance whenever the office staff appeared in their classrooms and surprised them by playing Twist and Shout.

One of the highlights of the week was when the cast of the touring show Let it Be dropped in and treated the children to an acoustic performance of some of the Fab Four’s biggest hits, including Yellow Submarine.

An information technology workshop brought a touch of the digital age to the week when they learned how to make violin and piano music on iPads while older children had the chance to compose their own garage music.

Students and staff from Warneford, Faringdon and Commonweal secondary schools also got involved, helping to create sixties-themed artwork and hosting history sessions.